Electro-mechanical needle selecting means for circular knitting machines

ABSTRACT

Electro-mechanical means for selective raising of the needles in circular knitting machines having selector jacks individually related to the needles in the cylinder needle slots with the jacks having radially outwardly extending butts and jack selecting cams rotating relative to the needle cylinder with the cams electronically controlled to move between selecting and nonselecting levels, the cams at their selecting levels engaging butts of selected jacks to move the latter radially inwardly of the needle slots and the butts of the so moved jacks thereafter engaging the cams to return the same to their non-selecting levels. A permanent magnet associated with each cam is magnetically attracted to a fixed electromagnet between pulses of the latter to retain the cam at its non-selecting level, and is magnetically repelled from the electromagnet when the latter is pulsed to move the cam to its selecting level. A spring aids in the movement of each cam to its selecting level and a fixed stop plate to which the permanent magnet is attracted when the cam is at its selecting level acts to prevent vibration of the cam.

Ilnited States Patent Sawazalti Dec. 24, 1974 ELECTRO-MECIIANICAL NEEDLE SELECTING MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Inventor:

Masatoshi Sawazaki, Kobe, Japan Precision Fukuhara Works Ltd., Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan Filed: June 18, 1973 Appl. No.: 371,173

Assignee:

U.S. Cl 66/50 R Int. Cl. D04b 9/00, D04b 15/78 Field of Search 66/154 A, 75, 50 R, 50 B [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1969 Schmidt et al 66/154 A X 3/1970 Zahradka 66/50 R 3,530,686 9/1970 Martinetz 3,771,328 11/1973 Schindele 66/50 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 362,787 8/1962 Switzerland 66/50 R 483,511 2/1970 Switzerland 66/50 R Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-Andrew M. Falik Attorney, Agent, or FirmNathan Levin, Esq.

[57] ABSTRACT Electro-mechanical means for selective raising of the needles in circular knitting machines having selector jacks-individually related to the needles in the cylinder needle slots with the jacks having radially outwardly extending butts and jack selecting cams rotating relative to the'needle cylinder with the cams electronically controlled to move between selecting and nonselecting levels, the cams at their selecting levels engaging butts of selected jacks to move the latter radially inwardly of the needle slots and the butts of the so moved jacks thereafter engaging the cams to return the same to their non-selecting levels. A permanent magnet associated with each cam is magnetically attracted to a fixed electromagnet between pulses of the latter to retain the cam at its non-selecting level, and is magnetically repelled from the electromagnet when the latter is pulsed to move the cam to its selecting level. A spring aids in the movement of each cam to its selecting level and a fixed stop plate to which the permanent magnet is attracted when the cam is at its selecting level acts to prevent vibration of the cam.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENIED 050241974 SHEET 2 OF 2 FIG. 7.

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL NEEDLE SELECTING MEANS FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES The present invention relates generally to the art of knitting and more particularly to improved electromechanical needle selecting means for use upon circular knitting machines for the selective raising of the needles thereof.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide improved electro-mechanical needle selecting means for circular knitting machines of the type having electromagnetically operated control members for the needle selecting means, the control members being actuated in accordance with and by a suitable predetermined pattem of electronic pulses or charges. More specifically, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improvement over the general type of needle selecting apparatus shown, by way of example, in US. Pat. Nos. 3,461,690, 3,530,686, and 3,550,398. In these patents, selector jacks having individual butts at a plurality of levels are selectively actuated by tiltable selecting levers, one at each such level, the levers being movable into and out of jack selecting position by electromagnets individually associated with the levers, the electromagnets being suitably selectively pulsed from an electronic pattern pulsing apparatus.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved arrangement of needle, selector jack and intermediate jack (between needle and selector jack) in each slot of the needle cylinder in the above type of needle selecting means.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide for cooperative action between the selector jacks and the tiltable selecting levers in such manner that after a lever has been tilted from its non-operative to its operative position to act upon a selector jack, the jack itself acts to return the lever to its non-operative position. v

It is also an object of the present invention to provide each selecting lever with a permanent magnet so arranged as to be magnetically attracted to and held by the electromagnet individual to the lever thereby to retain the lever in non-operative position against the force of a spring urging the lever to operative position. The arrangement is such that upon proper pulsing of the electromagnet the permanent magnet is repelled therefrom whereby the lever, with \the spring assisting, is tilted to operative position, the lever being prevented from vibration by magnetic attraction between the permanent magnet on the lever and a second permanent magnet.

With the above and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following detailed descrip tion of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the present invention resides in the novel elements of construction and arrangement of parts of the electro-mechanical needle selecting means illustrated and as hereinafter particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section taken through the needle cylinder, the surrounding cam ring and the associated parts of a multi-feed circular knitting machine and showing the electro-mechanical needle selecting means of the present invention associated therewith,

FIG. 2 is a view generally similar to a portion of FIG. 1 showing the relationship between one of the plurality of jack selecting cams of the present invention and one level of butts on the needle selector jacks in the needle cylinder with the jack cam in non-selecting position,

FIG. 3 is a view generally similar to FIG. 2 and showing the jack cam and lever in selecting position,

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of an enlarged scale showing the relationship between the operating end of a jack selecting cam and the butts on the needle selector jacks when the jack cam and lever are in selecting position,

FIG. 5 is a view generally similar to FIG. 4 and showing the jack cam and lever in non-selecting position,

FIG. 6 is an elevational view showing the stepped disposition of the plurality of electromagnets used to control the selecting and non-selecting positions of the individual jack cams and levers at each feed of the machine,

FIG. 7 is an elevational view showing the stepped disposition of the butts on the needle selector jacks,

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the manner in which the jack selecting cam levers are mounted at each feed of the machine, and

FIG. 9 is a view generally taken on line AA of FIG. 7 showing the needle selector jacks in relation to the needle cylinder and to one of the jack selecting cams and lever.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the electro-mechanical needle selecting means of the present invention is shown in position upon a multi-feed circular knitting machine of the rotary cylinder type wherein the periphery of an elongated needle cylinder 1 is provided with a series of adjacent vertically extending parallel slots 2 within each of which is positioned a needle 3 disposed above an intermediate jack 4 which in turn is disposed above a selector jack 5. The machine has a non-rotating cam ring 6 provided with a cam path 7 defined between needle moving cams 8 and 9. Needles 3 have butts 10 disposed in cam path,7, the needles being moved vertically in customary manner by cams 8 and 9. Jacks 4 and 5 are pivotally movable with jack 4 also being vertically movable in each slot 2. The lower end of jack 5 is provided with a generally U-shaped cut out 11 which is hooked about the inner side of a coiled garter type spring 12 which encircles and may be disposed in a horizontal groove in and extending about the needle cylinder. Jacks 5 are adapted to oscillate about spring 12, being movable radially inwardly deeper into slot 2 by jack selecting cam 14, of a selecting lever 13, acting upon butts 36 of the jacks when lever 13 is in needle selecting position, as will be explained, and being movable radially outwardly by elongated bottom end 16, of intermediate jack 4, acting upon the upper end 15 of jack 5, when jack 4 is rocked in counterclockwise direction to its position in FIG. 1.

Jack 4 is provided at an intermediate portion thereof with a radially outwardly extending butt 23 which projects into cam path 20 formed by cams 21 and 22, the butt 23 remaining in the cam path and serving as a fulcrum about which the jack is rocked. Jack 4 is provided at its lower end with a radially outwardly extending butt 18 located in cam path 18, above raise cam 19, when the jacks 4 and 5 are in their positions of FIG. 1. Jack 4 is also provided at its upper end with a radially outwardly extending butt 24 the upper edge 25 of which is adapted to engage with the lower edge 26 of needle 3, when the parts are as shown in FIG. 1, to raise needle 3 when jack 4 is raised by cam 19. Jack 4 may be rocked in clockwise direction by inward movement of end 15 of jack acting on end 16 of jack 4 in which event butt 24 of jack 4 enters cam path 46 between cams 9 and 21, and butt 18 is moved inwardly out of cam path 17 so it cannot be acted upon and raised by cam 19. When jack 4 is not raised neither is its associated needle 3 and its butt 23 moves horizontally along cam path 20. Cam path 20 is constructed so as to allow butt 23 to rise when jack 4 is raised and so as to thereafter act upon butt 23 to lower jack 4 between feeds after it has acted to raise its associated needle. In those instances wherein jack 4 is rocked by jack 5 and its butt 24 enters cam path 46, the jack 4 is not raised by cam 19 at a feed of the machine and an appropriately positioned cam is provided between feeds in guide path 46 to act upon the outward edges of butts 24 to rock jacks 4 in counterclockwise direction to their position of FIG. 1. At the same time, such movement of jacks 4 causes its ends 16 to act upon ends of jacks 5 to move the latter radially outwardly to their position of FIG. 1, preparatory to a selection of jacks 5 at the next feed of the machine. Accordingly, as to those jacks 5 which remain in their position of FIG. 1 at the individual feeds of the machine, the needles associated therewith will be raised at such feeds. And, as to those jacks 5 which are moved radially inwardly, their associated needles will not be raised.

Each successive group of 10 jacks 5 have selecting butts individually disposed thereon at each of IO separate levels, see FIG. 7 where jacks having uppermost butts 36c and 36d thereon at a common level are spaced by nine intervening jacks having butts thereon atseparate stepped lower levels, so that the butts at each level are horizontally spaced by jacks having no butts at each such level. Operating at each butt level is a pivotally movable selecting lever 13 having a selecting cam 14 at its end to engage the butts 36 and move jacks 5 radially inwardly. Each lever 13 is generally horizontally disposed so as to pivot or tilt about spaced shafts 43 which are ball bearing mounted, as at 45, in spaced walls 30 of a suitable bracket in which IQ of the levers 13 are similarly positioned at each feed of the machine. The bracket 30 at each feed of the machine is suitably secured to stationary base plate 41 of the machine. The relationship between each cam 14 and the jacks 5 at its level may'be seen in FIG. 9, with the cam 14 arranged so that it may be raised and lowered between successive jacks. This is also seen in FIG. 8.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the lever 13 and cam 14 is in raised non-selecting position in FIG. 2 and is in lowered selecting position in FIG. 3. When in nonselecting position, the cam 14 is just above the passing butts 36, FIG. 5, of jacks 5 and has no effect upon them. In FIG. 5, the letters A, B anc C may be considered to indicate three positions of a single jack 5 as it passes by cam 14. When in the lowered selecting position, the cam 14 is aligned with passing butts 36, FIG. 4, of jacks 5 so that its angled cam face 39 first contacts the outer edges of 36a of butts 36 to radially tilt the jacks 5 inwardly about fulcrum 12. In FIG. 4, the letters A, B, C, D and E may be considered to indicate five positions of a single jack 5 as it passes by cam 14, and it will be seen that the jack in positions C, D and E has already been tilted by surface 39 and that downwardly angled cam surface 40 and lower face 44 of cam 14 (immediately following the inwardly angled surface 39) has contacted the upper edge 36b of jack butt 36 and has forced itself (and lever 13) upwardly to its nonselecting position of FIGS. 2 and 5. Each selected jack 5 which has been moved radially inwardly by a cam 14 on a lowered lever 13 in selecting position thus itself acts to immediately raise such cam and its lever 13 to a non-selecting position. In doing this the jacks 5 are stressed in compression and the force thereof is taken up by plate 47 underlying the lower ends of the jacks. Should there be undue wear upon or even breakage of butts 36, it is only necessary to replace the so affected jacks 5.

Associated with each lever 13, at the end thereof opposite to cam 14, is an electromagnet 27 which comprises a U-shaped core 28 and a coil 29 about the same, FIG. 3. At the right side of and adjacent fulcrum shaft 43, lever 13 is provided with a pole piece 32 at one end of a permanent magnet 31 and with a second pole piece 33 at the other end of the magnet, pole piece 33 being supportedly positioned by a non-magnetic brass plate 34 attached to the pole pieces by screws 35, 35, FIG. 8. The pole pieces are arranged immediately above the opposite ends of core 28 and being of opposite polarity with each thereof when coil 29 is not pulsed, they are attracted to and held in contact with core 28 to hold lever 13 in position of FIG. 2. A suitably anchored tension spring 37 is attached to each lever 13 to urge the same in counterclockwise direction, however, the magnetic attraction between the pole pieces and the core is sufficient to overcome the effect of the spring and the parts remain as shown in FIG. 2 so long as coil 29 is not pulsed. With the parts in position of FIG. 2, the needles associated with the non-selected jacks 5 are raised.

When it is desired not to raise certain needles, the cores 29 of selected electromagnets are electrified or pulsed by suitably electronically controlled pattern pulsing apparatus (not shown) when cam 14 is between butts, such as 36a, 36b, with the result that each of the ends of core 28 have the same polarity as the pole pieces 32, 33 adjacent thereto (normally the polarity is opposite) and the core and pole pieces act to repel each other. Such repelling force plus the force of spring 37 causes lever 13 to be turned in counterclockwise direction about shaft 43 to position of FIG. 3, where it is stopped by contact of pole piece 33 and stop plate 38 of a permanent magnet, the magnetic attraction between pole piece 33 and plate 38 of opposite polarity serving to prevent vibration of lever 13. The lowering of each lever 13 places its cam 14 in position to contact a butt 36 associated therewith to cause the corresponding selector jack 5 to be radially moved inwardly of the needle cylinder, such movement of the jack, in the manner described, causes the associated needle not to be raised. At the same time butt 36 of such selected jack 5 acting on faces 40 and 44 of cam 14 (with release of electrification of coil 29) raises lever 13 to its original position of FIG. 2, thus leaving the parts in position for a new needle selection to be made at the next feed of the machine.

Reference may be made to the above identified patents for a disclosure of the general type of needle selecting means over which the present invention is an improvement.

I claim:

1. Needle selecting means for circular knitting machines having a vertically disposed slotted needle cylinder and having needles adapted to be raised and lowered in said cylinder needle slots, lengthwise extending selector jacks also in said slots, said jacks being selectively movable and being operatively related to said needles in such manner as to cause said needles to be selectively raised as a consequence of said selective movement of said jacks, a cam rotating relative to said cylinder and being movable between first and second levels in the first of which said cam moves selected ones of said jacks and in the second of which said jacks are unaffected by said cam, and said jacks and said cam being operatively related in such manner that each of said jacks so moved by said cam at its said first level thereafter causes said cam to be moved from its said first to its said second level.

2. Means as in claim 1 wherein said jacks are movable radially of said slots by said cam.

3. Means as in claim 2 wherein said jacks are pivotally movable about a fixed axis.

4. Means as in claim 3 wherein said jacks are provided with butts extending radially outwardly from said cylinder at a predetermined level, wherein said cam at its said first level engages said butts to move said jacks radially inwardly, and wherein said butts of said so moved jacks thereafter engage said cam at its said first level to move the latter from its said first to its said second level.

5. Means as in claim 4 wherein said butts have vertical and horizontal edges, wherein said cam has a plurality of cam surfaces, wherein one of said cam surfaces engages said vertical edges of said butts to move said jacks radially inwardly when said cam is at its said first level, and wherein other of said cam surfaces are thereafter engaged by said horizontal edges of said butts of said so moved jacks to move said cam from its said first to its said second level.

6. Means as in claim 1 wherein a spring is operatively related to said cam to urge said cam from its said sec ond to its said first level, and wherein said movement to said cam from its said first to its said second level by said jacks is sufficient to overcome the effect of said spring on said cam.

7. Means as in claim 1 wherein a permanent magnet is operatively related to said cam and is movable between a pair of positions corresponding to said first and second levels of said cams, a fixedly positioned electromagnetic adapted to be selectively pulsed, said permanent magnet being magnetically attracted to said electromagnet and being moved thereby to one of its said pair of positions between pulses of said electromagnet whereby said cam is retained at its said second level, and said permanent magnet being magnetically repelled from said electromagnet and being moved thereby to the other of its said pair of positions when said electromagnet is pulsed whereby said cam is moved to its said first level 8. Means as in claim 7 wherein a spring is operatively related to said cam to urge said cam from its said second to its said first level, and wherein said magnetic attraction between said magnets between pulses of said electromagnet is sufficient to overcome the effect of said spring on said cam.

9. Means as in claim 7 wherein a fixed stop plate is provided for said permanent magnet to position the same in the said other of its positions when said electromagnet is pulsed, said permanent magnet being magnetically attracted to said stop plate thereby to prevent vibration of said permanent magnet and of said cam. 

1. Needle selecting means for circular knitting machines having a vertically disposed slotted needle cylinder and having needles adapted to be raised and lowered in said cylinder needle slots, lengthwise extending selector jacks also in said slots, said jacks being selectively movable and being operatively related to said needles in such manner as to cause said needles to be selectively raised as a consequence of said selective movement of said jacks, a cam rotating relAtive to said cylinder and being movable between first and second levels in the first of which said cam moves selected ones of said jacks and in the second of which said jacks are unaffected by said cam, and said jacks and said cam being operatively related in such manner that each of said jacks so moved by said cam at its said first level thereafter causes said cam to be moved from its said first to its said second level.
 2. Means as in claim 1 wherein said jacks are movable radially of said slots by said cam.
 3. Means as in claim 2 wherein said jacks are pivotally movable about a fixed axis.
 4. Means as in claim 3 wherein said jacks are provided with butts extending radially outwardly from said cylinder at a predetermined level, wherein said cam at its said first level engages said butts to move said jacks radially inwardly, and wherein said butts of said so moved jacks thereafter engage said cam at its said first level to move the latter from its said first to its said second level.
 5. Means as in claim 4 wherein said butts have vertical and horizontal edges, wherein said cam has a plurality of cam surfaces, wherein one of said cam surfaces engages said vertical edges of said butts to move said jacks radially inwardly when said cam is at its said first level, and wherein other of said cam surfaces are thereafter engaged by said horizontal edges of said butts of said so moved jacks to move said cam from its said first to its said second level.
 6. Means as in claim 1 wherein a spring is operatively related to said cam to urge said cam from its said second to its said first level, and wherein said movement to said cam from its said first to its said second level by said jacks is sufficient to overcome the effect of said spring on said cam.
 7. Means as in claim 1 wherein a permanent magnet is operatively related to said cam and is movable between a pair of positions corresponding to said first and second levels of said cams, a fixedly positioned electro-magnetic adapted to be selectively pulsed, said permanent magnet being magnetically attracted to said electromagnet and being moved thereby to one of its said pair of positions between pulses of said electromagnet whereby said cam is retained at its said second level, and said permanent magnet being magnetically repelled from said electromagnet and being moved thereby to the other of its said pair of positions when said electromagnet is pulsed whereby said cam is moved to its said first level.
 8. Means as in claim 7 wherein a spring is operatively related to said cam to urge said cam from its said second to its said first level, and wherein said magnetic attraction between said magnets between pulses of said electromagnet is sufficient to overcome the effect of said spring on said cam.
 9. Means as in claim 7 wherein a fixed stop plate is provided for said permanent magnet to position the same in the said other of its positions when said electromagnet is pulsed, said permanent magnet being magnetically attracted to said stop plate thereby to prevent vibration of said permanent magnet and of said cam. 